Books

Unsung economy gamechanger

India’s tipping point
S. Narendra
Bloomsbury India
Rs.699 Pages 212

In this biography, the author details how prime minister Narasimha Rao unshackled the Indian economy by stealth

During the past 76 years since India wrested freedom from almost 200 years of British rule, P.V. Narasimha Rao (PVNR, 1921-2004) was undoubtedly the greatest of India’s 14 prime ministers. […]

Rushdie Strikes Back

Victory City
Salman Rushdie
Alfred A Knopf
Rs.519 Pages 352

An engaging novel about the founding and ultimate fate of the Vijayanagar empire (called Bisnaga) after a European mispronounces it

On August 12, 2022, Salman Rushdie was due to speak at the Chautauqua Institution in New York State. Shortly after the speakers ascended the stage, a […]

Excellent Family Therapy

Parenting in the age of anxiety: raising children in india in the 21st century
Abha Adams
Aleph book company
Rs.399 Pages 224

Well-known K-12 educator Abha Adams discusses the challenges and choices parents face, and must make, while raising children in these fractious times

Abha Adams’ reputation as India’s pre-eminent educationist precedes her, and for good […]

Deadly modus operandi

The Anatomy of Hate
Revati Laul
Westland Books
Rs.1,499 Pages 220

The author has chosen to study three individuals who swiftly meld into mobs, to understand the circumstances and motivations that make them ready tools of politicians and revivalists

In recent years, there has been an increasing tendency of enraged vigilante groups running amok, creating havoc and […]

New smart machines age

The Digital Ape: how to live (in peace) with smart machines
Nigel Shadbolt & Roger Hampson
Manjul Publishing House
Rs.354 Pages 90

We are reassuringly told that AI actually is poor at “commonsense reasoning”, and while they are superhuman in completing certain tasks, they are “overall bad at generalising”

At the heart of The Digital Ape: […]

Epiphany of a Dalit

I could not be Hindu: The story of a Dalit in the RSS
Bhanwar Meghwanshi
Navayana Publishing
Rs.399 Pages 240

The author shares his experience with the RSS and the reasons why he quit this organisation, the ideological mentor of the BJP, which rules at the Centre

This is an autobiography in which the author shares his […]

Sino-India border blunder

India’s china war
Neville Maxwell
Natraj Publishing
Rs.595 Pages 510

This book first published in 1970 was banned in India by Indira Gandhi and the dynasty for 40 years. An updated version was reprinted in 2015

Although liberals put up a stout defence, no politician’s star has fallen from the zenith of his glory to near rock-bottom […]

Hind Swaraj revisited

POLITICS, ETHICS AND THE SELF: RE-READING GANDHI’S HIND SWARAJ
Rajeev Bhargava
Routledge
Rs.1,595 Pages 370

The views of several pundits and distinguished scholars are included in this compendium which revisits Mahatma Gandhi’s Hind Swaraj

Hind Swaraj is one of those key texts published in the 20th century, which on the one hand, was denounced by many critics, […]

Devalued national hero

Gautam adani: reimagining business in india & the world
R.N. Bhaskar
PENGUIN
Rs.699 Pages 311

One hopes that this biography will persuade the citizenry into believing that 21st century India needs 1,000×2 As (Ambani & Adani) to fulfill its full potential

This is a timely, well-researched and engagingly written biography on this eponymous business tycoon who since […]

Pernicious casteism in academia

Caste discrimination and exclusion in Indian universities: A Critical Reflection
N. Sukumar
Routledge
Rs.12,600 Pages 215

With comprehensive ethnographic research, Sukumar details how caste continues to shape the functioning of India’s universities

Knowledge, at least in its a priori form, promises to be liberating. The thought of being able to learn, question, unlearn and then relearn […]

Churchill conundrum

Churchill and India: Manipulation or Betrayal
Kishan S. Rana
ROUTLEDGE
Rs.995
Pages 192

The author discerns four distinct phases in Churchill’s association with India between 1896 and 1965, when he was given a state funeral in London

While the title of his book Churchill and India: Manipulation or Betrayal? is puzzling (in that the alternatives seem to […]

Trusteeship philosophy revisited

Economist Gandhi: The Roots & the relevance of the political economy of the Mahatma Jaithirth Rao
PENGUIN PORTFOLIO
Rs.599 Pages 256

The centrepiece of the book is a radical re-evaluation of the crucial concept of trusteeship, which according to Rao contests the conventional view that Gandhi was opposed to capitalism

MAHATMA Gandhi is possibly the greatest and […]

Clarion call for educators

SMALLER CITIZENS: WRITINGS ON THE MAKING OF INDIAN CITIZENS
Krishna Kumar
ORIENT BLACKSWAN
Rs.395 Pages 149

The author’s insights help to locate the child within socio-political complexities while understanding education in India and its intersection with citizenship

KRISHNA Kumar’s deep and critical engagement with education and its impact on the child is clearly reflected in this slim […]

Girl power compendium

In this book published by the Malala Fund established by Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, girl children who have struggled to acquire education write first-hand accounts

WHENEVER I imagine war, images of the aftermath come to mind. Everything is scattered and I can see only people and things that have somehow survived bombings. I can feel the […]

Mythology influence

RENOWNED mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik has selected 72 tales, mainly from India’s rich mythology, and used them as a canvas on which to paint the 21st century.

THE STORIES WE TELL: MYTHOLOGY TO MAKE SENSE OF MODERN LIVES
Devdutt Pattanaik
ALEPH BOOK COMPANY
Rs.499 Pages 199

This collection of engaging anecdotes originates from Pattanaik’s webcast Teatime Tales. Why […]

Science & scientists for children

THEY FOUND WHAT? STORIES OF DARING DISCOVERIES BY INDIAN SCIENTISTS

THEY MADE WHAT? STORIES OF INGENIOUS INVENTIONS BY INDIAN SCIENTISTS

Shweta Taneja; HACHETTE INDIA; Rs.399; 288 pp

HERE’S A welcome addition to popular-science writing for children in India. Shweta Taneja, the author, is passionate about familiarising children with the wonders of modern science and scientists, and has been […]

China decoded

HIMALAYAN CHALLENGE: INDIA, CHINA AND THE QUEST FOR PEACE
Subramanian Swamy
RUPA
Rs.595 Pages 240

WITH THE just concluded 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) making global headlines, this is a good time to review Subramanian Swamy’s slim but informative book which suggests ways and means to mend Sino-India ties, slowly but […]

Tagore’s rural reconstruction initiative

Tagore’s first experience of village life and close observation of the glaring poverty of the peasantry planted the seed of the Institute of Rural Reconstruction, Nabanipa Bhattarcharjee (The Book Review)

A HISTORY OF SRINIKETAN: RABINDRANATH TAGORE’S PIONEERING WORK IN RURAL RECONSTRUCTION
Uma Das Gupta
NIYOGI BOOKS
Rs.450 Pages 234

BORN INTO a wealthy family in Calcutta in […]

Iconoclastic Raj chronicler

A biography of John Lang, writer, lawyer and alcoholic who exposed British epicures who ruled India for almost 200 years, writes Mridula Garg

JOHN LANG: WANDERER OF HINDOOSTAN, SLANDERER IN HINDOOSTANEE, LAWYER FOR THE RANEE
Amit Ranjan
NIYOGI BOOKS
Rs.795; Pages 472

Amit Ranjan’s book John Lang poses a conundrum quite like the persona of the protagonist. […]

Guoanbu secret service: Chinese spies: From chairman Mao to Xi Jinping

In-depth research and scholarship have made this book a fascinating account of the role of intelligence services in China during the turbulent past century, writes Parimal Maya Sudhakar

Chinese Spies: From chairman Mao to Xi Jinping
Roger Faligot
Harper Collins
Rs.699
616 pages

The rise of a nation in international politics is measured by its hard and […]

Emperors of Gaia: Invisible empire: The natural history of viruses

In this fascinating book the author unravels the mysterious ways in which viruses orchestrate the cycle of life on Planet Earth, writes Anil Thakore

Invisible empire: The natural history of viruses
Pranay Lal
Penguin Random House
Rs.799
Pages 278

In January 2020, news emerged of a mysterious fever in China. Until it was identified as the […]

Innovative novel: Tomb of Sand (Ret Samadhi)

The first Indian language translation novel awarded the Booker Prize (2022) is notable for its sweeping imagination and power of language, writes Alka Saraogi

Tomb of Sand (Ret Samadhi)
Geetanjali Shree
Rajkamal Prakashan
Rs.299
376 pp

The first Indian language translation to be awarded the Booker Prize 2022 and the fifth novel of Geetanjali Shree leaves […]

Tragic history: The Arabs: A History

The deep yearning for unity, justice and freedom of Arab people united by religion has invariably been thwarted in The Arabs: A History, writes Dilip Thakore

The Arabs: A History
Eugene Rogan
Penguin Random House
Rs.899
Pages 718

Although an estimated 7.6 million Indian citizens and people of Indian origin are employed throughout Middle East countries, especially […]

Looming water crisis: Watershed

Watershed: how we destroyed india’s water & how we can save it, written by Mridula Ramesh, published by Hachette india is priced at Rs.699. A compelling narrative that traces India’s water history over 4,000 years to highlight a grave crisis confronting latter-day India, writes Mohammad Imtiyaz

Mridula Ramesh’s compelling work traces the trajectory of India’s water […]

Piketty’s latest oeuvre: A Brief History of Equality

A Brief History of Equality, written by Thomas Piketty, published by Harvard University Press is priced at Rs.799. Economist Thomas Piketty summarises his previous works to make his research accessible to a wider audience, writes TCA Ranganathan

Professor of economics at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences and associate chair at the Paris […]

Suppressed history: Opium Inc

Opium Inc, written by Thomas Manuel, published by Harper Collins piblications is priced at Rs.599. The book is an The Crown, Indian farmers, merchants, ship-builders and sepoys were heavily involved in the opium trade forcibly imposed on imperial China

It’s a matter of speculation whether the intractable issue of demarcation of the 484-km Sino-Indian border which […]

History Bollywood style: The Three Khans

The Three Khans, written by Kaveree Bamzai, published by Westland books publications is priced at Rs.599. A compelling narrative of the careers of Bollywood’s three Khans — major figures of the Hindi film industry

Ramachandra Guha is one of few historians to have considered with any degree of seriousness the role of Hindi cinema in keeping […]

Complex relationship: Keeping in touch

Keeping in Touch, written by Anjali Joseph, published by Westland piblications is priced at Rs.599. The book is an expertly written novel that transports the reader into myriad cultural scenarios of north-east India and London.

Keeping in Touch by award-winning novelist Anjali Joseph is a love story centering around Keteki Sharma and Ved Ved in their […]

Inspiring coming-of-age story: Arzu

Arzu written by Riva Razdan, published by Hachette India, is priced at Rs.399, addresses complex issues that concern young girls — marriage and relationships, education, family and sex, writes Ilika Trivedi

Arzu is essentially a coming-of-age story but the charm of the book is that it beautifully captures the process of growth, change and hard work, […]

Intertwined lives: PN Haksar & Indira Gandhi

Intertwined lives: PN Haksar & Indira Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh; Simon & Schuster; Rs.799, Pages 560

In his new book, Congress party politician Jairam Ramesh transports us to a time of remarkable consequence for contemporary India. While the author inserts a caveat that the book must be read as a biography of a committed and profoundly sagacious […]

German colonisation exposé: Afterlives

Afterlives
Abdulrazak Gurnah
bloomsbury publishing
Rs.499
Pages 273

-Sharmila Narayana

Afterlives is the latest book from Abdulrazak Gurnah, the Nobel laureate for literature, 2021. His novels predominantly focus on the themes of displacement, colonisation, migration, identity and slavery. In an essay published in 2004, Gurnah explains that his own hardships, anxiety, state terror and humiliation, as […]

How China played America: A new cold war

A new cold war: Henry Kissinger & the rise of china
Edited by Sanjay Barua & Rahul Sharma
harper collins
Rs.799
Pages 295

-Dilip Thakore

February 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of a historic meeting in Beijing, China, between US President Richard Nixon and China’s Chairman Mao Zedong in 1972, which future historians may well mark as […]

Compelling wake-up call: The Silent Coup: A History of India’s Deep State

The Silent Coup: A History of India’s Deep State
by Josy Joseph
Published by Westland Books
Rs. 699
Pages 306

-Anil Thakore

Up until the year 2012, barring a two year blip in the Emergency period (1975-76), India was widely acknowledged as free and democratic, and ranked among the top 30 countries worldwide in the indices of […]

Mafia rule exposé: Red Roulette

Red Roulette
by Desmond Shum
Published by Simon & Schuster
Rs.2000
Pages 310

-Dilip Thakore

There’s no shortage of admirers of the Red China development model of socio-economic growth in India and world over. Admittedly, by any yardstick the dizzying growth of our unfriendly neighbour, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) — with whom we share a […]

Birth control politics: Reproductive Politics & the Making of Modern India

Reproductive Politics & the Making of Modern India
Mytheli Sreenivas
Women Unlimited
Rs.875 Pages 274

Politically correct, influential people in policy making circles in the West don’t talk any more of the ‘yellow peril’, or use phrases such as ‘population explosion’ and metaphors like the population bomb. At the same time, partly due to the very […]

Refreshing honesty & erudition: Home in the World

Home in the World: A Memoir
-Amartya Sen
Allen Lane
Rs.899
Pages 464

Nobel economics laureate (1998), and quintessential argumentative Indian, Amartya Sen comes across as a true citizen of the world in his newly penned memoir. Traversing continents, he is as much at home in Harvard, Berkeley, Stanford, Trinity College Cambridge, as in […]

Witty murder mystery: Club you to death

Club you to death
Anuja Chauhan
Harper collins india
Rs.399
Pages 432

Anuja Chauhan’s new novel is set around a seemingly simple murder perpetrated in the Delhi Turf Club, a space for a privileged set who believe that they are the glamourous last standing people who will protect Delhi from falling at the hands of what […]

Brilliant dissertation: The Nutmeg’s Curse

The Nutmeg’s Curse
Amitav Ghosh
Penguin
Rs.599
Pages 352

To describe this seminal work of exhaustive research and deductive logic as the most insightful and illuminating explanation of the environmental crises threatening Planet Earth suffering floods, famine, pandemics, typhoons, forest wildfires, shrinking polar icecaps — all at the same time — written in the past century, […]

Purposeful narrative: My Name is Gulab

My Name is Gulab
Sagar Kolwankar
Tulika books
Rs.175
Pages 28

Gulab, the daughter of a manual scavenger, is mocked by her classmates as ‘Stinky Gulab’, not because she is filthy but because her father’s profession involves cleaning of clogged sewer drains and gutters.

So, on science day at school, Gulab takes her first bold step […]

Familiar story: The Sackclotman

The Sackclotman
Jayasree Kalathil; Illustrated by Rakhi Peswani
Eklavya
Rs.150 Pages 44

To be honest, I judged this book by its cover — in fact, I was totally intrigued by it. The illustrations by Rakhi Peswani are striking.

The story evokes familiar imagery from Rabindranath Tagore’s famous tale Kabuliwala. There is a young girl, and an ‘outsider’, […]

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